HM...Good point. I am currently A+ Certified, and I've taken the Net+ classes, but have not taken the test. Currently in Chapter 6 of the 2009 edition of the study guide, but at this point, it seems a tad much, just really boring (but necessary, I know!) stuff at the point I am in the book. Plus I know, in general, how TCP/IP works as it relates mostly to Windows systems. I've dabbled in Linux, but have never really used it in a desktop, day-to-day situation for very long. I've tried Slackware....back in 2003/4, Ubuntu every couple releases (not a fan of Unity, BTW), and I think once I tried Gentoo to force myself to learn about Linux, and that just netted me an unbootable machine for a week.

Have been thinking really hard about getting CCNA certified, taking the classes because of the incredible volume of information, but don't have ~$3k+ for the classes, and I can't find a local campus offering the course at the moment.

The way I learn is very complicated, but according to this list on Wikipedia, I can learn all four 'ways', but I would prefer not to stick to a single method if possible. Hence my want of the class for CCNA specifically.

It seems Self-Study, for me, only works for a while, maybe a month at max. After that I just lose interest in the text and move on to something else. Maybe a study group of some kind?

Also, are there free(ish) alternative to the courses offered by SANS? I might be able to get some kind of tuition reimbursement from my employer (if I get a day position in their IT dept) but I'm not holding my breath, plus, I'd have to have the cash to pay for any training myself first.....

Ah, First World Problems, right? Looks like I am going to enjoy my time here! Can't believe I haven't found this place, or similar before! I wonder is there a 'Non-Ethical Hacker' sister site?

JTD121 wrote:HM...Good point. I am currently A+ Certified, and I've taken the Net+ classes, but have not taken the test. Currently in Chapter 6 of the 2009 edition of the study guide, but at this point, it seems a tad much, just really boring (but necessary, I know!) stuff at the point I am in the book. Plus I know, in general, how TCP/IP works as it relates mostly to Windows systems. I've dabbled in Linux, but have never really used it in a desktop, day-to-day situation for very long. I've tried Slackware....back in 2003/4, Ubuntu every couple releases (not a fan of Unity, BTW), and I think once I tried Gentoo to force myself to learn about Linux, and that just netted me an unbootable machine for a week.

Linux is definitely important.

Gentoo has a pretty steep learning curve. It's a good experience to go through setting up a system, but it can be difficult to maintain if you're not really into tweaking every minor setting. I personally don't have the time for it. Try installing KDE or Gnome on the server version of Ubuntu if you like the distro sans end-user clutter. There are similar Debian-based distros, such as Mint, as well.

Grab VMware Player or VirtualBox and load up a Linux distro. Try and stay in full-screen mode as long as you can and get acclimated to the environment. It's any easy and unobtrusive way to really dive into it.

JTD121 wrote:Have been thinking really hard about getting CCNA certified, taking the classes because of the incredible volume of information, but don't have ~$3k+ for the classes, and I can't find a local campus offering the course at the moment.

The way I learn is very complicated, but according to this list on Wikipedia, I can learn all four 'ways', but I would prefer not to stick to a single method if possible. Hence my want of the class for CCNA specifically.

That's kind of an odd article. I didn't think there was that much controversy over the various learning styles. These are the statistics I've typically gone by (the percentages obviously aren't perfect, but that order is roughly what I've observed in myself and others):

PsychoTactics wrote:To summarize the numbers (which sometimes get cited differently) learners retain approximately:90% of what they learn when they teach someone else/use immediately.75% of what they learn when they practice what they learned.50% of what they learn when engaged in a group discussion.30% of what they learn when they see a demonstration.20% of what they learn from audio-visual.10% of what they learn when they’ve learned from reading.5% of what they learn when they’ve learned from lecture.

The CCNA certainly provides a good foundation for any security role. It's also great for helping you land a full-time IT position, which seems to be a current goal of yours.

Have you looked at TrainSignal or CBT Nuggets CBT-based training? That might be a cheaper alternative to classroom training while still providing the same style of training. The only downside is you can't directly ask questions, but you can always ask here or at one of the many other IT forums. You'll miss out on hands-on exercises as well, but you can build your own CCNA lab for a fraction of the price of a course (~$300-500).

I think a class is overkill for this cert. There's a lot to it, but it's really not that bad. The breadth can be a bit overwhelming for someone seriously diving into networking for the first time. You should be fine with CBT > Written Resource > Lab Activities > Practice Exam.

JTD121 wrote:It seems Self-Study, for me, only works for a while, maybe a month at max. After that I just lose interest in the text and move on to something else. Maybe a study group of some kind?

Pay for the exam and set a date at the onset. Create an actual deadline to target if you find yourself having difficulty staying motivated.

JTD121 wrote:Also, are there free(ish) alternative to the courses offered by SANS? I might be able to get some kind of tuition reimbursement from my employer (if I get a day position in their IT dept) but I'm not holding my breath, plus, I'd have to have the cash to pay for any training myself first.....

I don't know of anything free that's on-par with SANS, but there are plenty of free resources to keep you busy for the foreseeable future. Here's a few to get started with:

JTD121 wrote:Ah, First World Problems, right? Looks like I am going to enjoy my time here! Can't believe I haven't found this place, or similar before! I wonder is there a 'Non-Ethical Hacker' sister site?

hello and welcome to this great forumAs i mentioned over and over i think its not a good idea to start learning hack directly, its better to provide some background first to have better idea about future lessons

networking backgroundi think its the first requirement which you need to learn because without having a good knowledge about networking you'll never understand what is server, how its work and so on so please be experienced in this field. here is a good book which make you learn networking very fast:

Sybex network plus fast pass

Virtualization basicsVirtualization gives you the ability to run multiple operating systems in same time and you'll need it for exercises and during real pentest. but Virtualization has some techniques and its necessary to learn. Here i provided some links for that:

linux basici think a hacker without knowing Linux is nothing!! because Linux has great features which is necessary for hack. So you must learn one of Linux pen test distro such as backtrack, back box and so on. but if your newbie i suggest you to learn ubuntu linux:

Create your own hacking labTo do your exercises you cant attack to the real internet server because its not ethical. So here virtualization can help you . you can easily create some virtual computer with different O.S. i suggest you to install these operating systems:

Cyber.spirit and chrisj thanks for the advice! I'll look into many of these things soon!

And I bought the basics of pentesting book because I don't know how to do it, hence, I need the basics. I understand basic security concepts and abstracts, but have had little "in-the-field" experience with them.

But PenTesting sounds like something I might be able to do as a job, maybe even a career of sorts. Not sure what I want to do as a career right now, but I do want it to be in the vast IT industry

your welcome jtd and if you want to learn hacking from the basics, as i mentioned over and over and over! Its great place to start:www.hackerhighschool.orgDO NOT FORGET TO PROVIDE SOME NETWORKING BACKGROUND

No offense, but am older than high school age (nearly 26), so I don't believe the HHS will work out for me, plus, there is almost no information on how/when/where theses ISECOM 'events' take place, their price, etc.

It seemed interesting until I tried to find out if it was an online thing, or you had to go to an on-site training, or if it was offered specifically to high school teachers/students....

EDIT: Okay, it's geared specifically at students still in public school....nevermind. Thanks anyway!

Last edited by JTD121 on Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

JTD121 wrote:No offense, but am older than high school age (nearly 26), so I don't believe the HHS will work out for me, plus, there is almost no information on how/when/where theses ISECOM 'events' take place, their price, etc.

It seemed interesting until I tried to find out if it was an online thing, or you had to go to an on-site training, or if it was offered specifically to high school teachers/students....

EDIT: Okay, it's geared specifically at students still in public school....nevermind. Thanks anyway!

Lol! Man i have 23 and it worked for me. Basics are basics no matter when u learn. Just learn and dont care about highschool or kindergarten!!!!

Just download and read their lesson and it will give u good ideas about how to start you can create ur own lab later like meGood luck and any other problem or question? Let us know

Last edited by cyber.spirit on Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:40 am, edited 1 time in total.